Centre readies rules to monitor airfares, with caps only in disasters and emergencies

Prices of everything have risen in this period of inflation, and air travel is clearly feeling the pinch. Those who fly will have noticed a big difference in ticket prices. Airfares climb suddenly, especially during festivals and holidays.

Often, a gap of just a few days on the same route makes a difference of thousands of rupees. This makes it hard for ordinary passengers to afford air travel. The question now is what help the government is going to offer on tickets.

Given this problem, the Centre is preparing to bring in new rules to keep a watch on airfares. The rules aim to stop unwarranted increases in ticket prices, while airlines will still be allowed to set their own fares. Even so, the government will not always control ticket prices. Certain special conditions may be laid down.

The government is drawing up these rules under the Indian Aircraft Act 2024. They will allow airfare increases to be checked when needed. For now, the government has no intention of directly capping air ticket prices in normal circumstances. But in a natural disaster or any major emergency, an upper limit on fares could be set. The aim is to maintain competition in the market and give passengers relief from unwarranted fare increases.

Under the proposed rules, airlines will have to submit their fare structure to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) a month in advance. They will also have to display this information on their website. This could add considerably to fare transparency and help in monitoring cases of overcharging.

It is also worth understanding why tickets get costlier during festivals and holidays. More people travel at these times, so prices rise while seats remain limited. Besides this, the price of aviation fuel ATF, the availability of aircraft and operating costs also affect ticket prices. A cap on fares alone will therefore not remove the shortage of seats.